Body pain may originate in muscles, organs, bones, or other areas of the body. One example of body pain is back pain, or pain associated with the spine. Back pain is a huge health problem worldwide and is the cause of much human suffering. Back pain is also a major cause for work-related disability benefits and compensation. Treatments for back pain vary widely, ranging from physical therapy, to pharmacological therapy and pain management, to surgical intervention.
Use of pharmaceuticals to treat back pain has at least three concerns. First, the patient may become dependent upon the pharmaceuticals. Second, the cost of the pharmaceuticals, usually over several years, may be extremely costly. Third, generally, the pain persists over many years.
Surgery also presents several concerns. First, most techniques involve fusing the vertebrae of the spine together and/or removing tissue from between the vertebrae. While surgery usually provides long-term relief, e.g., greater than one-year, surgical techniques require extensive recovery time and additional physical therapy for the patient.
While physical therapy does not present all of the concerns of surgery or using pharmaceuticals, patients receive varying degrees of relief from pain. Additionally, physical therapy usually provides only short-term pain relief, e.g., one to two months, thereby extending treatment over several years, and thus increasing the cost of treatment. Moreover, many patients ultimately require surgery.